450 Gs

We will not be moving into this pricey gem.

Groceries

I need to go grocery shopping.
We've been so focused on the house, and the cleaning up after the work was done, that I've eaten all my fresh vegetables without restocking the cooler. Three potatoes, some lettuce, strawberries. That's it.
We have one grocery store that's like an indoor market, loaded with fresh, good produce. They offer unusual items also, mostly known in Central America. I try to pick out something unknown to me. Sometimes it's hard to figure out how to prepare an item. Sometimes I get lucky, if another shopper is willing to share their know-how.
Many items are offered to the Asian population. There are several Hmong workers at the store, who are willing educate me.
As the population's palate has become more sophisticated, so has the store's selection of cheeses, breads (I usually make my own, though) and good quality wine, at reasonable cost.
Before I get too hungry I will make my way to that store.

Kitchen Updating

It's done!
The kitchen looks fresh, clean, personalized. We had rebuild the back splash and after yesterday's counter installation I adhered the tiles. We had laid them out to determine the pattern, which I followed closely. I am so happy that I was able to use the six tiles I picked up in Spain, years ago. The pictures were taken before the grout was put on. The magnetic knife holder and the two spice racks are from, yes, IKEA.
So, how do you like it?

Tomatoes and Dogs, and Everything

Everyone remembers my frustration the last couple of years when growing tomatoes had become a real challenge. In itself growing tomatoes it fairly easy: Soil, water, some fertilizer. Add the dogs to the mix and it becomes a huge challenge.
They won, and I'll be growing the tomatoes by the side of the driveway, outside of the property fence. The plants will be hidden from the street by the four toters and a four foot wooden fence. Far enough from the car's exhausts and watered by the automatic system. We planted four plants today, and I might add yellow tomatoes later. I had to cut back the Rosemary bush for the water to reach.
Not only is it nice to step out and get some fresh vegetable, but not to having to drive to the store for it is even better. Thinking further, how much energy did it take for that food to get to the store? Therefore growing a bit of produce seems only reasonable and I hope to be a contributor to our environmental (-mental) health.
Some other time I will expound on the virtue of recycling.
Plant your tomatoes!

Another One

I no longer like that it's become so quiet on this street. After a midnight break-in in one house, another empty house was hit two nights ago.
Attempts were made to get into the house, without success. The screen doors were damaged.
A friend of the owner had been cutting the grass the day before. He took the blade off of the mower to sharpen it. You guessed it, the robbers took the blade-less mower.
I noticed that the friend, Danny, hid his PU around back last night, and most likely spent the night in an attempt the catch the thief. Danny (not his real name) is a tall, large man, sure to frighten a young opportunist.
The sheriff's deputy alerted all the neighbors to be extra vigilant. Let' hope we can put a stop to the night time visits.

Next..

Yo-yo

I'm the keeper of the yo-yo dog.
When the weather gets nice he wants to be out basking on the dark mat. After while he remembers that I'm in the house so he skratches on the door, then barks until the magic door opens.
After while he wants out again and we do it all over again.
Today's weather: Yo-yo!

The Near Drowning

I almost drowned when I was a little girl.
We lived in two rooms of a large building that is a working mill, having been evacuated from our city.
The mill has been there for a couple of hundred years and is, obviously, next to a stream. The stream is channeled apart and one part runs under the building to drive the machinery that moves the mill stones. There are access holes to the water for maintenance, and was used as a garbage disposal.
The millers also had land and livestock, fowl ran in the yard and on the water. Then it was time to butcher a couple of hoofed things and preserve meat. This was a huge job. A butcher was hired for the day and all hands were needed, including my mother and the bigger kids. We young ones were sent out to fend for ourselves, coming in to check on progress occasionally.

My version differs here from my sister's who, being older, thinks she remembers all thing accurately. I recall my sister picking up a piece of meat and squishing is through her fingers. The butcher saw her, shouted to her to put it down. He, with the bloody apron and large knife, advanced toward her. I backed up and dropped into the hole.

In my sister's version, mom, she and I were walking, without the butchering activities, across the space. She says that, as always, I wasn't paying attention and fell in. (She would never grab a kidney and fool with it!)

In any case I was in, and looking up I saw light through the murky, bloody water. Mother yanked me up and out. Quick thinking on her part, as the stream would have carried me away under the floor to come out near the big wheel maybe one hundred feet away.

I am still not fond of underwater swimming. Just let me float on top, I'll be happy.

P.S. I went back to the mill a few years ago. I chatted with the miller, who remembered my family, me. He had been a teen then. He let me look around, in spite of the fact that the mill is not a tourist destination. He gave me an update on all the people that I remembered and had cared about as a young child. I was fortunate to get "closure" on that chapter.
Ray was in high school then and had been with me. He enjoyed seeing the place of so many of my stories.

Trim That Tree!

"Trim that tree, please!" I said. And he did.
Next to the driveway there had grown a Texas Privot tree. It planted itself some years ago and grew to be twenty feet tall.
There were so many berries this year and the wind had torn those off and dumped them in the path of my car. Quish!
So Ray trimmed it to the ground.
Thank you! Thank you!

Midnight Robbery

As I wrote before there are now four empty homes on our block. Three are cleared out. The occupant of the fourth went away for a weekend and never returned, leaving her possessions unattended. I think it's sad that the children don't respect their mother enough to come and take the things mom treasured to her. Yes folks, those things are up for grabs. Come and get them. Preferably around midnight when the few remaining neighbors might not see. In this case the neighbor did see, called the Sheriff's department. They came, quickly, but too late. The old lady's house was tossed, again.
There is a six foot tall wooden fence, but after all these storms we've had, there are now several openings to the property. Pick your favorite route!
As Ray pointed out, it's not good for us to live in a crime ridden neighborhood.
I feel somewhat responsible for the empty place, but it's up to the children to make arrangements to secure the home owners things.

Best Dressed Beast on the Block

She's probably the best dressed in town. I don't know anyone else silly enough to dress their dog in team shirts.

A Thing of Beauty

It is beautiful, it really is. I am very glad we put tile floor in the bathroom.
Ray is finishing the last of the grout lines, painting sealant. The grout sealing was a tedious job. Painting all the grout lines without getting any on the tiles. Twice! The applicator that came with the product was messy, so we used a water color brush.
In three hours we can begin to put cabinets in the bathroom.
The sink will be connected on Monday. Beginning with the demolition it will have been a ten day job.
The photos make it hard to see that the tiles are dark blue, not black.

Our House...

...is a mess! Michelle and I just emptied all the lower cabinets in the kitchen. The drawers are stacked on the floor, two filled laundry baskets are under the patio table that we brought in. Pots, bowls, baking items are stacked on the patio table. The regular table is set up with coffee pot, large cutting board, so a person could get a snack tomorrow.

Most of our day, however, was spent on the bathroom floor. The painting of the walls was finished this morning, courtesy of Ray, and we began tiling this afternoon. It went pretty fast, and quite easily. Our floor is cement and very flat, which simplifies things. The process is a little different than laying 12" or larger tiles, but going around the toilet hole was so simple with the small pieces. The last box of ten tiles was totally damaged, so we pulled enough pieces off of the mesh to make four tiles. The rest will have to be returned, and I will have to have some pieces cut to fit against the tub and door. Perhaps I can make the patterns tonight.

So if everything goes according to plan, we will begin to put the house back in order tomorrow evening.

Lies and Owww

Previously I'd written that I would not get involved in any large, or costly, projects this year. That was a lie. I'm sorry about that.

I've been sleeping in the spare bedroom for a week, so we all have access to the second bathroom, any time. I thought perhaps I'd be there less than one week. I see another week there. I don't mind, but I miss listening to the radio if I awake during the night. I also miss looking out the French doors to the patio and watch the birds in the early morning. Just a minor inconvenience, though.

Then there are the seemingly unending trips to the Home Depot. Not only is it quite a distance away, but seems to come with $100 bills to pay every time. That hurts. A lot. I do think we are coming to the end of the supply gathering phase.
Shel's dad came and moved the light outlet today. Which meant another hole for me to patch, prime etc. etc.

My hands are hurting from holding the paintbrush. Hopefully I'll be recovered by morning so I can paint again. Ouch!
For sure, tomorrow we will begin to lay the tile.

For sure, tomorrow we will empty the lower kitchen cabinets, because the countertops will be replaced on Monday. "Happyness is having a small kitchen"! (and a pantry.)

An aside here: the company that gave me the first estimate of $4100 called back. Seems they read the wrong numbers to me. The correct estimate is $3000. I believe that, not! But it's interesting to note how things are done sometimes.
We've got "Slim" to do our work for us. We get a kick out of his originality. I also think he is a generous person.